Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.

Community updateSPRING 2019

Half-a-billion-dollar Gippsland Line Upgrade is now underway

The Gippsland Line Upgrade is an unprecedented investment in better train services for the region.

Passengers are already benefiting from the Gippsland Line Upgrade, with more modern, comfortable and reliable VLocity trains now running to Bairnsdale thanks to level crossing upgrades between Sale and Bairnsdale.

Construction is now underway to build a new rail bridge over the Avon River, to improve reliability for passengers and allow freight trains to travel in this section for the first time since 2009.

We have also shortlisted contractors to build the major upgrades between Pakenham

and Traralgon, with the contract to be awarded mid next year ahead of construction in late 2020.

The Gippsland Line Upgrade will enable a 40-minute service frequency between Melbourne and Traralgon in the off-peak on weekdays, as well as better reliability.

The project will reduce congestion points between Pakenham and Traralgon, so trains can arrive in Pakenham in time to meet their designated pathways, boosting reliability and avoiding one of the

major causes of delays for city-bound trains.

Track duplication, extending the Morwell crossing loop and building second platforms at key stations will provide significantly more opportunities for trains to pass each other, reducing wait times.

Importantly, the Gippsland Line Upgrade will create more than 400 jobs and local supplier opportunities. A project office will also be set up in the Latrobe Valley, further boosting the local economy.

Stay connected

To receive updates on the Gippsland Line Upgrade subscribe to the eNews at regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au/gippsland

Regional Rail Revival is a joint initiative of the Australian and Victorian governments

Full steam ahead on the Avon River Bridge

Work on the Gippsland Line Upgrade has begun with contractors setting up site in Stratford for the new Avon River Bridge.

The new bridge will improve reliability on the Bairnsdale Line and allow trains to travel at up to 90km/h. This will provide a big improvement on the 10km/h speed limit in place on the existing bridge, which was built in 1883.

The $95 million project will also boost opportunities for industry in this region by allowing freight trains to operate from Bairnsdale for the first time since 2009.

After the contract to build the bridge was awarded to CPB Contractors earlier this year, geotechnical investigations and

the construction of temporary access tracks have commenced in preparation for major construction starting.

The 504-metre structure will be built on the north side of the

existing bridge and to the south of the Princes Highway.

Trains will continue to travel on the existing bridge while the new one is built to minimise disruption to passengers.

Major works to benefit Gippsland

The Gippsland Line Upgrade is not the only major project that will deliver for Gippsland passengers.

The Metro Tunnel, which is currently under construction, will allow more trains to run more often and more reliably on the Cranbourne/Pakenham lines.

It will also mean fewer trains run on the tracks between South Yarra and Southern Cross

Station, which V/Line trains share with metropolitan services, reducing delays caused by congestion in this part of the network.

Other improvements such as high capacity signalling will provide more capacity for the existing metropolitan network, which will have flow-on benefits for Gippsland line passengers.

The Victorian Government has also committed to building a new superstation at Pakenham, which will include a dedicated

V/Line platform to reduce congestion between regional and metropolitan trains.

This will mean V/Line trains will no longer be delayed as they enter the metro system.

Regional Development Victoria will also build 800 new car parking spaces in Traralgon, Morwell and Moe over the next three years.

These projects are all part of the unprecedented investment to bring better train services to passengers on the Gippsland Line.

Project milestones

20192018 2020 2021 2022

1158V/LINE VLOCITY

Quiet carriage

This is a quiet carriage

1158V/LINE VLOCITY

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Completed level crossing upgrades between Sale and Bairnsdale

Community consultation and procurement for corridor works

Drainage upgrades completed as early works

Target completion date for Avon River Bridge

Target completion date for corridor works

VLocity trains began running to and from Bairnsdale

Contract award for Avon River Bridge

Contract award for corridor works

* A more detailed program for corridor works will be available once a contractor is appointed.

Planning and environmental approvals

Construction begins on corridor works*

Construction begins on Avon River Bridge

Flinders Street Richmond

Caulfield Clayton

Dandenong Berwick

Pakenham

Nar NarGoon

Tynong

Garfield

BunyipLongwarry

DrouinWarragul

YarragonTrafalgar

Moe

Morwell

Rosedale

Sale

Stratford

Bairnsdale

TraralgonSouthern Cross

Additional platformsat Bunyip, Longwarry, Morwell and Traralgon stations

Track duplication between Bunyip and Longwarry

Signalling upgrades

Stabling to house more trains

Extend crossing loop at Morwell

New Avon River Bridgein Stratford

Level crossing upgradesto improve train detection at level crossings along the line

Upgrade drainage structuresalong the line

Businesses boost from Regional Rail Revival

Gippsland businesses are already enjoying the benefits of the $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival.

Maffra’s Gippsland Precast has supplied more than 500 tonnes of precast concrete footings and coping stones for a 110-metre platform extension as part of

upgrades to Donnybrook Station on the Seymour line.

Project manager Nik Kupres, from construction contractor Coleman Rail, said Gippsland Precast was a competitive option and it was a bonus the supplier was located in regional Victoria.

“By the nature of our work we do travel regionally and we try to find local suppliers wherever we go,” he said.

“It benefits the whole region and the whole of Victoria when we do that, and it benefits Coleman Rail as we have a wider variety of suppliers to use.”

Supporting the economy: the Ballarat benchmark

With a massive half-a-billion-dollar budget, economic benefits for local, social and Aboriginal businesses are a key focus on the Gippsland Line Upgrade.

The huge benefits that flow to local economies from major rail upgrades are already being seen on the Ballarat Line Upgrade, which is similar in scale to the Gippsland Line Upgrade and is now nearing completion.

More than 40 contractors and suppliers local to the project area have been involved in the Ballarat Line Upgrade, including

12 from Ballarat, 11 based in Melton, five from Bacchus Marsh and more from Maddingley, Wallace, Wendouree and Warrenheip.

Protective fencing was supplied by Ballan company Premier Fencing, while Carey Civil Construction in Gordon carried out earthworks, bulk excavation and piling.

Aboriginal-owned renewable energy company Bunjil Energy installed 69 solar panels for new facilities and station upgrades on the project.

More than one million hours have been worked on the Ballarat Line Upgrade, with more than 40,000 of these by Indigenous workers.

The benefits for local economies, social enterprise and Indigenous employment from the Ballarat Line Upgrade show what can be achieved on the Gippsland Line Upgrade and across the entire Regional Rail Revival program.

416Detailed survey responses received

63Conversations at drop-in information sessions

370Interactions at station pop-ups

900+Subscribers received e-newsletter update

860Letters sent to residents along the line

4100+Visits to the Gippsland Line Upgrade home page during the consultation period

What we heard

Rail Projects Victoria is working with regional communities to deliver the $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival.

In recent months the Gippsland Line Upgrade project team has had more than 400 conversations with passengers, businesses, landowners and the wider community to raise awareness of the project and seek feedback.

We heard from the Gippsland community on a number of matters including potential construction impacts, flora and fauna and general project feedback.

Some of the key topics raised included car parking, accessibility, station amenities and safety. The feedback will be used to inform planning and development of the project, as well as construction.

Thank you to those who provided feedback via our online survey and at our community engagement events.

A summary of the feedback received is available online at regionalrailrevial.vic.gov.au/Gippsland.

Growing local jobs

Rail Projects Victoria has partnered with GROW Gippsland to ensure that local and social procurement opportunities are ongoing through the delivery of the Gippsland Line Upgrade.

GROW Gippsland (Growing Regional Opportunities for Work) is a program that seeks to strengthen social and economic outcomes and increase job opportunities through maximising local spend in the region.

The program is focused on creating job opportunities for key target groups – including young people, transitioning workers, Aboriginal people and the long-term unemployed.

CPB Contractors, who will deliver the new rail bridge over the Avon River, has also partnered with GROW Gippsland and will work with them to identify opportunities to boost the local economy through procurement and employment opportunities for the Gippsland region.

More informationTo find out more about Regional Rail Revival:

regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au

facebook.com/RegionalRailRevival

1800 105 105 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

Rail Projects Victoria PO Box 4509, Melbourne, VIC 3001

It should be noted that this information is current at the time of printing, however due to unforeseen circumstances, changes may occur. Please visit railprojects.vic.gov.au for the latest updates.

(03) 9209 0147

@ Subscribe to eNews regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au/gippsland/subscribe

Regional Rail Revival on track

The $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival is in full swing, with upgrades to every regional passenger train line in Victoria underway.

The program is the biggest upgrade to the regional train network since Regional Fast Rail, which transformed regional Victorian train travel more than a decade ago.

Regional Rail Revival will bring new and upgraded stations, duplicated track, crossing loops, stabling facilities and modern signalling solutions to enable more frequent and reliable services for passengers.

The program is already delivering significant benefits for regional Victorians, including VLocity trains to Bairnsdale, 10 new weekly services for Shepparton and a completely rebuilt station for Rockbank. More benefits are on the way over the next 12 months and beyond as construction ramps up across the state.

The program will also create more than 1000 jobs and local supplier opportunities across the state, with many of these in regional Victoria.

Across Victoria, Regional Rail Revival will deliver:

— 810 new car parking spaces, giving more people access to train services

— Four new stations, one completely rebuilt station and major upgrades to 15 stations catering to regional population growth and improving comfort, accessibility and safety for passengers

— Second platforms and extra track at eight key stations to reduce congestion and improve service reliability

— Five new and extended crossing loops as well as critical sections of track duplication, removing bottlenecks, giving trains more opportunities to pass each other and boosting capacity across the network

— Upgrades to more than 75 level crossings, improving safety for motorists and train passengers

— More than 1000 jobs, driving economic growth in regional Victoria

RR

R0

143